Vintage Mid Century Modern Herman Sperlich's IRONRITE METAL HEALTH CHAIR . Wear consistent with age and use.This model is made completely of sheet metal and steel. The seat is not wood.The Ironrite Ironer Co., Detroit, MIHealth Chair1938-1940In 1911 the Ironrite Ironer Company began manufacturing electric ironing machines and marketing them to American housewives as the modern antidote to the drudgery of hand ironing. In the late 1930s it launched the Health Chair, which facilitated "a scientifically correct ironing posture," to complement its machines. World War II delayed mass production of the chair, but efforts to improve the efficiency of people operating under duress stimulated the development of a scientific and systematic analysis of the interface between the human body and the designed Environment. When production resumed, Ironrite instructors, who provided free demonstrations at "ironing schools" and lessons at private homes, advocated the benefits of the Health Chair.